Lydia - Acts 16:12-15

In a vision Paul had seen a man calling for his help in Macedonia. The next day Paul and his little party left Troas, where they had presumably met Luke, and went through Samothracia and Neapolis to end up in Philippi, “which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony.” The term “colony” kind of sticks out here, so a Google article gives some background saying that the city of Philippi was the center of the largest Roman battle where “Mark Antony and Octavian gain revenge on Julius Caesar’s assassins, Brutus and Cassius.” After the battle “Philippi then became a Roman colony settled by army veterans and produced its own coinage.” These army veterans and their families would have been Roman citizens, which is important when we consider what happens to Paul and his group over the next few events.

Once in Philippi, the group spent a few days “abiding” in the city, which probably meant that they rested, found a place to stay, got some food or perhaps did work somewhere to earn money for accommodations. Then “on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made.” I questioned why they would head out of the city to find a place to pray on the Sabbath. I thought that maybe someone had asked them to come there and teach them, and that’s possible but an article from margmowczko.com gives some background that going outside the city looking for a place of prayer was in keeping with their usual custom of “connecting with the local Jewish population.” By process of deduction, the author concludes that “it seems that Philippi did not have a recognized synagogue- perhaps they did not have enough Jewish men to form a quorum necessary for a synagogue- but they did have a proseuche, a prayer-house. Like many Jewish places of worship, this prayer-house was located by a water source. Many synagogues and prayer-houses were built near water sources, such as rivers, to facilitate ritual washing.”
The idea that there might not have been enough Jewish men to run a synagogue is further supported by the fact that when the missionaries come to the prayer house, the group they met there was mostly women. But this didn’t dissuade Paul “and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.” The preaching of the gospel to women is just as important as the preaching of the gospel to men, and Paul demonstrated this by teaching the gospel to this group of women, even with the absence of men. The importance of women in the gospel is further demonstrated as we are introduces to “a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God.” It is noted in the article mentioned previously that we are given a lot of information about this woman Lydia, especially in comparison to some of the other characters introduced in this chapter who we are told almost nothing about.
Just with the few bits of information that we are given here, there are some insights that can be gleaned. First is the name Lydia and the origin of Thyatira. Simple speculation from the article suggests that Lydia’s name is derived from Thyatira, where she’s from indicating that “because slaves were sometimes named after their place of origin, it has been thought Lydia’s name signifies she had once been a slave.” This, of course, is not doctrine, but if true another point made by Paul’s teaching her is that there is no one so unimportant that the gospel is not for them. The gospel is for everyone, slaves, former slaves, wealthy merchants, kings, judges, everyone. 
She worshipped God. This is probably the same as a God-fearer, which, according to the article, means “Lydia was a Gentile adherent to Judaism rather than a full convert.” This would also lend support to the concept that there weren’t enough Jewish men in the city to support a synagogue. If all the people in the main Jewish house of worship were women, and most of those women were not full Jewish converts, then yes it is understandable that there was more of a branch than a ward. This is also another example of how people, and women in particular make due with what they have. These women didn’t have a presiding priesthood holder, but they probably still engaged in scripture study and powerful, fervent prayer. They clearly still met together to worship with each other and I’m sure to strengthen each other in their beliefs.
She was a seller of purple. We might have a little bit of background knowledge about the importance of purple cloth, but the IM explains, “the best natural purple dye was extracted from the shells of mollusks, and the process was very expensive. Therefore in ancient times, the color purple became associated with royalty or saintliness. Lydia worked as a dyer and seller of purple cloth.” She might have been a former slave, but at this point, she has worked hard and taken opportunities as they’ve presented themselves to her and she’s done quiet nicely for herself. We can see that she’s wealthy by not only her work in the luxury industry but because when she accepts Paul’s words and is baptized, “her household” was baptized as well.
In a time when women were defined by their relationships with men, as wives, mothers, sisters, aunts, etc, Lydia is not presented that way at all. It does not appear that she’s asking any man for permission to be baptized, and later when she says to Paul, “if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there,” she does not appear to ask any man’s approval. I had to ask myself why it is important that she invites this group of missionaries to stay with her. My answer came from a cross reference to the word “abide” corresponding to 1 Timothy 5:10 which says, “Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.”
It’s so difficult to relate to this situation because we are so far removed from it. If a group of people showed up without money trying to spread a message in a place, they could stay in a hotel. If they didn’t have any money, they couldn’t stay with us because it’s not safe, people are crazy. But imaging that Paul and his group only had a limited amount of money, her being able to support them physically while they ministered in her city would allow them to further the work elsewhere.
By inviting Paul and the missionaries to stay in her house with her, we can see that her wealth consisted of a large estate. The article says her home “was large enough to accommodate Paul and his fellow missionaries (who included Silas, Timothy, and possibly Luke and others) as well as her own household. Her home was also large enough to hold church meetings. It was in Lydia’s home that the church at Philippi first gathered.” Though her own hard work and creativity would have been vital to the building of her wealth, we can also see that perhaps the Lord set Lydia up in her opportunities so that when the time came for her to accept the gospel and play a vital role in the establishment of the church in Philippi, she would be ready with the resources needed.
Getting the whole story of Lydia requires some jumping around the chapter. We know that she is worshipping the God she believes in when Paul and the missionaries come to the prayer house. We know that she is receptive to their gospel message and is the first Christian convert in Europe. We know that she is independent because she owns and manages her own luxury textile business and household. We know that she is generous because she meets to worship God with other women who probably aren’t as well off financially as her, and she invites the missionaries to stay in her home. All those grown men surely would have been a drain on her resources.
We also know that Lydia was a spiritually receptive and valiant person. We know that she was one “whose heart the Lord opened.” She was sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit in a time when the Spirit wasn’t given. She was a clear leader, both temporally but also spiritually. The article says, “Paul and his party may have spent several weeks staying with Lydia. During that time, she would have received (directly or indirectly) a theological and pastoral education from the apostle so that she was equipped to care for the church when Paul moved on to bring the gospel to other Macedonian cities. Furthermore, she seems to have been a spiritually receptive person. We know ‘the Lord opened Lydia’s heart,’ and so it is probably the Spirit gave her spiritual gifts and abilities to help her in ministry.”
We also know that Lydia was brave. The article points out “Lydia’s hospitality and her benefaction of Paul and his ministry required courage. Having a group of foreign men stay in her house, might potentially cause scandal. Hosting meetings where they worshipped a new Jewish messiah, and not an emperor or any of the ancient and respected pagan gods could have ruined her reputation and her business. Receiving Paul and Silas into her home after they were released from prison and asked to leave town, was brave.” We aren’t to that part yet, but I hadn’t considered all the social and political ramifications that could come from her allowing this group of men to stay in her home. I sometimes think to myself how much easier everything would be if I had a partner, or a husband or a man who could help me with so many things and this is 2,000 years later when women as pretty free and able to do anything. Lydia was truly a courageous woman.
Lessons from the account of Lydia are that the gospel is for everyone, regardless of circumstances. God gives us blessings so that we can be prepared to use them for his purposes when the need arises. Everyone can worship God to the extent of their abilities, do the most you can and blessings will pour down. Women are vital to the spread and implementation of the gospel. Women can be leaders in the gospel and make significant contributions to the church. What a powerful role model we can find in this incredible woman who found God and loved him.

Article:  https://margmowczko.com/lydia-of-thyatira-philippi/